Hvar harbour
Diocletian’s Palace, Split
Hvar
Ulysses), with a life-size sculpture of Joyce sitting outside. It’s easy to find, standing next to yet another Roman monument, the 1st
-century BC Arch of the Sergi. Zadar
Lunch on hvarska gregada (fish stew with potatoes and fresh herbs) washed down with local wine and, before leaving, buy a bottle of distilled lavender oil, said to combat stress and encourage a peaceful night’s sleep.
Dalmatia is a historic region famed for its scattered pine-scented islands and mainland coast backed by the rugged limestone mountains of the Dinaric Alps. Zadar, with its car-free old town sitting on a medieval-walled peninsular, was founded by Romans as Jadera. Today, its main attractions are several splendid Romanesque churches, built when the city was part of Byzantium. The most impressive is 9th
Kor ˇ cula -century Cathedral. Split
Dalmatia’s biggest city was founded when Roman Emperor Diocletian chose to build his retirement home here in 295 AD. The historic centre now lies within the walls of Diocletian’s magnificent palace, and the entire complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a dynamic combination of the old and the new: splendid ancient buildings, proud Baroque palaces, romantic cobbled alleys, chic boutiques and a palm-lined seafront promenade with a string of open-air cafés.
-century St Donat, a robust
cylindrical building with a dome, and next to it, the 12th
Nearby, you can see the Gold and Silver
of Zadar collection, a horde of minutely detailed Byzantine reliquaries – the body parts of various saints, encased in gold plating, decorated with filigree – curated by nuns from the Convent of St Mary. However, for many, Zadar’s most
amusing attractions are the Sea Organ and the Greeting to the Sun, both created by local architect Nikola Bašic
´ on the Korˇ
cula produces one of Croatia’s finest white wines, Pošip, and it’s possible to hire a car and drive to the hill villages of Smokvica and Čara, where it is made.
54 WORLD OF CRUISING I Winter 2012-13
tip of the town peninsula. The former is composed of 35 pipes extending into the sea, which whistle with the movement of the waves, while the latter is a large circle of 300 glass plates, set into the paving. Under the glass, light-sensitive modules absorb the sun’s energy, transforming it into electricity. Just after sunset, the lighting elements create an impressive spectacle, illuminating the pavement in shades of blue, green, red and yellow.
F
rom the seafront, pass through the Podrum (underground chambers), maybe browsing the souvenir stalls
on your way, to clamber up a steep flight of stone steps to the Peristil, an arcaded courtyard in the heart of the Palace, where Emperor Diocletian made his public ap- pearances. To the east stands Diocletian’s mausoleum, an octagonal structure surrounded by 24 columns. Today, it forms the main body of Split’s Cathedral, complemented by an elegant 60-metre bell tower, added in stages between the 12th and 16th
centuries.
East of the Palace, Pazar, the open- air fruit and vegetable market (mornings only), is an attraction in its own right. Here you can clearly see Split is a real working city, not just a holiday destination. Local seasonal produce abounds – tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, peaches, apricots and melons in summer, with more frugal potatoes, cabbages and oranges in winter. There are also stalls selling tasty homemade cheeses, honey and nuts.
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